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8 Days Intensive French Cooking Course

Highlights

  • Learn gourmet cooking techniques and skills
  • Taught by a Michelin star chef
  • Visit markets and interact with locals
  • Armangac and wine tastings
From £3265 pp
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What you'll do

Overview

Enjoy this immersive experience in which you will be able to learn all about French cuisine with a world class Michelin star chef. Make everything from scratch and impress your friends and family with your new found skills when you get home.

This is a twice a year opportunity limited to 6 participants.

Have an amazing time discovering the fantastic food, wines, history and culture of South-West France. This tailor-made cookery course will give you a hands-on insight into French cuisine and its delicacies. You will stay at a private 180-year-old farmhouse set in 50 acres where your every need will be met by your specialist team of staff who are on hand to ensure an unforgettable stay.

This hands-on and immersive course in English & French has been designed by our chef for those with some skill and a lot of passion for cooking.

Jerome, a Michelin star trained chef and a walking encyclopaedia of French cooking, will take you on an incredible learning journey over the course of the week. You will create amazing dishes from scratch as Jerome guides you through their ingredients, creation and presentation.

Breads, pastries, pastas, meats, fish, sauces, desserts and much more, picking up invaluable hints and tips along the way. Jerome will be there to guide you, but this is a hands-on course where you will perform all the tasks required to complete each dish from raw ingredients.

There will also be free time to ensure your holiday is not frantic but rather a relaxing and fulfilling experience. Enjoy wine and Armagnac, explore all the best Gascony has to offer in this once in a lifetime trip. Take home new skills learned in your hands-on cookery course. Meet new people or come as a group.

If you have your own group of 6 -8 people we can make a private group booking for this week, where you and your friends will have the accommodation and kitchen to your selves.

Dates:

18-25 October 2024

Arrival

You will arrive sometime in the afternoon and be greeted by your hosts. You can be collected for free from Agen train station but airport pick ups can also be arranged upon request for a supplement.

Then you will be taken to your accommodation which is an old farmhouse where you will have some time to settle down and relax after your journey.

In the evening you will get to enjoy a three-course gourmet dinner served in the farmhouse kitchen and you will be told more about what to expect over the coming week.

 

Market and Boutique Wines

After breakfast, we will head to a local village market where we will have coffee and croissants with the locals and learn a bit about the history of this region.

When we return to the farmhouse you will have some time to relax by the pool before lunch. After this, we head to explore the wines of the region. We sample some amazing wines and learn how to select the right wine to accompany your meal.

Dinner will then be served back at the farmhouse. Afterwards you are free to do whatever you like, whether thats relax by the pool, play some table tennis or even cycle around the grounds. It’s up to you.

Cooking School

After a leisurely breakfast, it’s time to enter the kitchen and begin your culinary experience!

We will focus on preparing delicious meals from fresh local ingredients. You’ll prepare lunch then dinner. We will occasionally escape the kitchen to visit local markets during the day where your chef will guide you through what to look for in good ingredients.

During this course you will learn to prepare meals from scratch. You’ll do the work, guided by Jerome. This is not a demonstration course.

The course will include;

Pasta

Foie gras

Confit

Croissants & chocolatines (pain au chocolat)

Baguettes, breads and brioche

Macarons & eclairs

Sauces & stocks

Fish

Terrines

Meats & poultry

Pâtés

Stews

Salads

Dressings

Vegetables

Knife skills

Selecting your ingredients at the market or store

Butchery & filleting skills

Mise en place

Timing

Plating & presentation

Secrets & tips

We will also visit local chai to enjoy tasting some local wines and Armagnac

Departure

After breakfast, you will be asked to check out by 10am. However, if your flight isn’t until later in the day you are more than welcome to relax by the farmhouse and enjoy some free time.

You will return home a much better and well rounded chef as well as being able to show off some of the new skills you learnt to your family and friends!

What's included

Included

  • Transfers from Agen train station
  • Accommodation in a lovely restored farmhouse with outdoor pool in the country side
  • Local village markets, foodie stops and history
  • Wine tastings along with wine pairings
  • Armagnac tastings
  • Daily breakfast and all meals paired with wine
  • All tuition from a Michelin star trained Chef
  • Lunch and Dinner hands-on cooking classes daily (days 2-7) followed by your meals
  • Learn all of your chefs tips, tricks, and techniques
  • Local market/producer visits to know how to spot the best fresh produce
  • You will cover typical, regional French dishes, pasta, bread, sauces and more

Accommodation

Baron-Figués

You'll stay in a gorgeous 150-year-old farmhouse with three beautifully appointed guest en-suite twin/double bedrooms, and one of the main attractions of this farmhouse is its large open plan traditional kitchen. Guests can sit around the homely table, that seats 14 guests, and share delicious meals prepared by Caroline’s husband.

Attached to the farmhouse is a recently renovated gite. The gite has been sympathetically restored to a very high standard and also contains two twin/double bedrooms.

Features
- Set in 50 acres of parkland, an area of incredible natural beauty famous for its gastronomy and wines
- Outdoor swimming pool (12m x 6m)
- All twin/double bedrooms have private ensuite bathrooms
- Open plan farmhouse kitchen and large living area with TV
- WiFi available

Your local host

Caroline & Adam

Caroline is a qualified teacher from the UK and her husband Adam is a passionate cook. They moved to South West France looking for a change of lifestyle and now run their hugely successful jewellery making and activity holidays from Baron-Figués, where you will be staying. Caroline has been a qualified teacher for over 25 years and has experience in setting up and running training centres teaching practical skills. She is a senior instructor in both PMC and Art Clay and has experience in using a wide range of clays and other materials. Adam is a serious gastro enthusiast, as much in love with the local seasonal produce as the Gascons, and entirely committed to cooking the most incredible traditional dishes for guests as well as providing wonderful cooking courses. For Adam, cooking is a journey through all the senses and you won't just spend time sampling the local produce but understand how it is made and the traditions behind it. Adam blends a simple Irish approach to cooking with flavours and skills acquired from travels across the world. From conception to plate, Adam will teach you how to prepare and serve fantastic meals that will seem to magically appear in front of your guests, allowing you to enjoy the party too! For the painting course, they are joined by passionate local artists with huge knowledge and experience of the area as well as art to ensure you are taken to the right places to inspire your paintings.

Caroline is a qualified teacher from the UK and her husband Adam is a passionate cook. They moved to South West France looking for a change of lifestyle and now run their hugely successful jewellery making and activity holidays from Baron-Figués, where you will be staying. Caroline has been a qualified teacher for over 25 years and has experience in setting up and running training centres teaching practical skills. She is a senior instructor in both PMC and Art Clay and has experience in using a wide range of clays and other materials. Adam is a serious gastro enthusiast, as much in love with the local seasonal produce as the Gascons, and entirely committed to cooking the most incredible traditional dishes for guests as well as providing wonderful cooking courses. For Adam, cooking is a journey through all the senses and you won't just spend time sampling the local produce but understand how it is made and the traditions behind it. Adam blends a simple Irish approach to cooking with flavours and skills acquired from travels across the world. From conception to plate, Adam will teach you how to prepare and serve fantastic meals that will seem to magically appear in front of your guests, allowing you to enjoy the party too! For the painting course, they are joined by passionate local artists with huge knowledge and experience of the area as well as art to ensure you are taken to the right places to inspire your paintings.

Caroline & Adam image

Location

Set in the heart of Gascony surrounded by 50 acres of private unspoilt meadows, the your farmhouse accommodation is tucked away in the Gascon countryside. Although the farmhouse is a rural retreat, the bustling picturesque towns of Nérac and Condom are within easy reach.

Nearest airports:
Toulouse (1hr 40min), Bordeaux (1hr 40min), Pau (2 hours) or Bergerac (2 hours)

Complimentary pre-booked train transfers:
Return transfers to and from Agen train station (30 minutes) are included in the course price.

Trains run to Agen from across the SNCF network from where you can take advantage of the free transfer. Optional private airport transfers can be booked for an additional cost.

What our travellers are saying...

Fabulous wine and cheese. Days exploring the French local cuisines. Nights full of Apero's and laughs. Adam and Caroline are such amazing hosts and create an environment full of laughs. Adam makes cooking amazing food look so easy even for some beginners. The trips to the local areas were great being able to wander beautiful country towns full of cobblestones and history. And the cheese, the cheese made by the local producers are to die for. Ther

Anon

FAQs

Is there restricted mobility access?

Please find below some information regarding the accommodation and location of the holiday which may be useful when deciding if this is the right holiday for you; should you have an further questions, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
- We generally do not recommend this location for those with restricted mobility.
- This holiday is based in the countryside, and does include some walking.
- The accommodation has no bedrooms or bathrooms on the ground floor, therefore one must be comfortable with stairs.

When can I start?

This holiday has a few exclusive dates throughout the year. Please refer to the overview content for list of selected dates.

What can I do in my free time?

During your free time, there is plenty to do at your farmhouse accommodation including relaxing by the heated swimming pool (May-September). The accommodation offers a range of extracurricular activities onsite which are free of charge including table tennis, basketball, shooting, archery, cycling and board games to name a few!

There are numerous fêtes, music festivals and exhibitions in the surrounding areas through the year and your host Caroline will be happy to advise you during your stay. The closest towns are Nérac and Condom, and your host will be happy to suggest activities and transport should you wish to explore these during your stay.

Are transfer included?

Yes, Return transfers to and from Agen train station (30 minutes) are included in the course price.

Trains run from Agen from across the SNCF network from where you can take advantage of the free transfer. Pickup is only available after 15:30 due to the 16:00 check in time.

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